Major changes in proposed state districts

The proposed new maps of New York’s Assembly districts are in, and some legislators are up in arms.

Elizabeth Cooper

The proposed new maps of New York’s Assembly districts are in, and some legislators are up in arms.

The shapes of many districts would change dramatically if the proposal by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Redistricting is upheld.

“The district is absurd,” Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, said of her new map.

Today, Tenney’s 115th District stretches to the west, including large portions of Oneida and Oswego counties.

Under the new plan, it would extend from New Hartford eastward, all the way to Coxsackie. And, it includes the hometown of another sitting Republican Assembly member, Peter Lopez, so she could face a primary.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has threatened to veto any redistricting proposal that appears to be politically motivated.

Tenney said the proposed changes to her district bear out Cuomo’s concerns.

The redistricting process takes place every 10 years after the U.S. Census is released. Nationwide, those tasked with redistricting are supposed to use the new information about populations and their demographic characteristics to create new districts that offer voters the best possible representation.

In New York, the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Redistricting has been working on new maps for state Assembly and Senate districts, as well as those for the state’s Congressional representatives.

The proposed Congressional districts have not yet been released, but those for the Senate and Assembly were issued Thursday.

Historically, the process has been politically charged because the majority parties in each house have strong influence over how the districts are drawn.

That means the maps can be manipulated to make it difficult for those in the minority party to gain re-election.

Now that the proposal has been released, there will be a series of public hearings and possible additional changes before final approval by the legislature. The governor will then sign or veto the plan.

‘Rigged for supermajority’

Susan Lerner, of the watchdog group Common Cause, called the maps “very disappointing” and “a continuation of the existing political gerrymandering.”

She said the changes to Tenney’s district could be the result of a requirement that Long Island gain a district because of population increases.

“They did something right for Long Island, but they took it from the wrong place,” she said.

Lerner called proposed changes to the state Senate districts that were “egregious.”

Joshua Simons, a research associate specializing in state politics at SUNY New Paltz, called the proposed map for the Assembly “rigged for a supermajority,” meaning the Democrats were trying to create a filibuster-proof majority.

Assembly member John J. McEneny, co-chair of the task Force, said good government groups asked that “we make districts as nearly equal in population as practicable.”

“Toward that end we have drawn districts that have less disparity than is required by law and closer to equality than the current lines,” he said. “The proposed Assembly districts – with one exception, which was drawn to avoid crossing a county line – have a population deviation of less than 4 percent. This is a plan which moves us more toward a key reform.”

Legislators react

Other area senators and Assembly members were mixed in their reactions to the proposed changes.

Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, said his district was largely the same under the proposal and he looks forward to serving those voters in the future. He will be losing six towns in northern Herkimer County.

“If this plan becomes law, I’d be very sorry to be losing those towns,” he said. “I established great relationships with a lot of people there.”

Sen. Joseph Griffo’s district is largely the same, though he would get all of the city of Rome rather than splitting it with neighboring Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, as he does now.

Griffo and Seward are in the Republican majority in the Senate.

Valesky said he was happy with his new district. Under the proposal, his district would become largely consolidated in Onondaga and Madison counties, though he would get the Oneida county towns of Kirkland and Augusta.

Assembly Democrat Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica’s district is largely intact. He currently has the cities of Rome and Utica, and the towns of Floyd, Marcy and Whitestown, but would pick up the town of Frankfort. He said he likes that arrangement.

“There are similar socioeconomic issues across the district and I think it is reasonable to keep these towns and cities together,” he said.

Assemblyman Marc Butler, R-Newport, however, said he would see significant changes to his district under the proposal, though other Republicans faired far worse.

Under the plan, he would lose portions of Otsego County, but gain most of Hamilton County and a number of towns in St. Lawrence County.

“When you are in the minority party, this is a very difficult period of time,” he said. “We are going to wait and see how this plays out.

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